Love Me to the End?
by InuYasha Obsession Grizzly
Summary: Several pairs of glowing eyes look apon her as a leader. One Hanyou stands behind her. Naraku is up to the ultimate plot of death... In the end, only she can stop this chaos...until something starts to kick deep within her... InuKag
1. Decisions

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or it's characters.

Claimer: I own all of MY original characters that are added to this story.

Apologies: This story is long over-due to be re-posted.. after much debate, it was removed for editing and re-written hopefully for the better. If you recognize this fanfiction, and are re-reading it in its new version, I will tell you that MANY things have changed, while I have also left alot of it the same. I guess you can say, I changed 50 percent of this fanfic and dropped a few chapters, while adding others. I do hope you enjoy the new and improved version of **Love Me to the End?** Please be sure to point out any grammer issues so that I may go back and fix them for new readers to come!!

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**_Chapter one - Decisions_**

* * *

"I am surprised at your loyalty to your clan, demon." 

Blue eyes glared defeatedly at the black stone floor in shame.

"Very well then. You have a deal. Your life, for the safety of your family." The tiny spider's creepy voice echoed throughout the damp, dark cavern.

The demon before him only groaned as the earth suddenly seemed to quake, chains of rusted metal erupting from the wet ground to restrain the pitiful mound of bloodied fur.

Naraku gave a smirk of satisfaction. His plan had again worked. Another demon was beaten and he could now persue the Shikon Jewel without the annoying interference the twin-tail had caused.

The chained demon, moaning in sorrow, watched as the tiny spider crept from her prison of death.

_How could such a creature as Naraku cause so much pain and suffering?_ Her thoughts were lost in the shadows.

* * *

_Shift - 200 years later -_

**

* * *

**

"What? You wanna go home now?!"

"Just for a few days! Besides, I haven't been home in ages and we need more bandages and ointments."

"Feh. You and your medical stuff! We can get along fine without your weird crap. I bet you just wanna go back to that school thing you always complain about. You like those 'Exams' better than us don't you?!"

"InuYasha...SIT!"

A thud followed as Kagome's command flipped InuYasha face first into the dirt.

"You're such a jerk! Why do I even bother...I'm going home! Sango, can I borrow Kirara?" Kagome asked, picking up her unusually light, yellow book bag.

Sango smiled in reply as a cute tiny Kirara burst into flame revealing a ferocious demon.

"Thanks. I'll be back in about seven days." Kagome said, climbing onto Kirara's back.

"Seven days? That's too long!" Came InuYasha's muffled growl from below.

Kagome rolled her eyes and shot another 'Sit' at him.

"Better make that ten days..." her voice faded as Kirara took to the air. InuYasha stayed put until he thought she was gone.

"Well, it looks like we should head back to Kaede's village." Sango sighed to herself.

"You know InuYasha, had you kept your mouth shut in the first place, Kagome would have been back in about three days instead of ten."

"Shut up Miroku. Who cares? I don't need her. I can find the Jewel Shards on my own. All that girl does is slow me down anyway." InuYasha growled as he leapt to his feet and shook the dirt and mud from his kimono.

Shippo, Sango, and Miroku could only shake their heads and sigh hopelessly, all thinking the same thing.

_InuYasha's pride always ruins everything. _

* * *

_Shift... _

* * *

Kagome gritted her teeth as her anger threatened to spill over. _Why did he have to be such a jerk?_

Kirara gave a growl to snap Kagome out of her boiling thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Kirara. I didn't mean to pull." Kagome noticed the strands of fur flying away in the wind and released the death grip she had on Kirara.

As the Well came into view, she took a deep breath. _I need to calm down. Oh I can't wait to be back in my own bed. And don't forget a nice hot soak._

Kagome realized her thoughts were only a distraction. She shifted her bag slung on her back as Kirara landed beside the Well and climbed off.

"Why does InuYasha always haunt me?" She spoke aloud.

Kirara gave a purring nudge to cheer the girl up, then took to the air to find her companion Sango.

Kagome watched the Two-tail fade away in the blue sky. Sighing, she turned towards the Well and looked into its gloomy mouth.

"To think this rotten old Well connects my world to his..." Kagome murmured and leapt in without another word.

* * *

_Shift...

* * *

_

Seven days had passed since Kagome's return home and there was no sign of InuYasha.

_Not that I expected him to show up...School is what I should be focusing on instead of fussing over that stuck up mutt._ Kagome caught herself. _Mutt? I can't believe I just called him that!_

She recalled Koga calling InuYasha a mutt and remembered the name half-breed in which many people labeled him. Guilt swept over her. _Maybe I should go back...no. InuYasha would only rub it in my face if I went back early._

Kagome walked on through the streets deep in thought keeping an eye out for a certain store, which carried her friends' favorite treats.

_They can wait three more days can't they? But...maybe they're in trouble...and that's why InuYasha hasn't come for me yet! No, no, no! Kagome you're doing it again. Everyone is fine. I know it. But...I still miss them..._

"Hey Kagome!"

"Huh?" Kagome snapped from her thoughts as four familiar faces ran in her direction. She groaned when she spotted Hojo in the group and glanced about trying to find a place to hide.

"That's it!" She spied the store she had been looking for and duck inside, pretending she didn't hear anyone call out her name. Grabbing a basket, Kagome fled to the back of the store which held Shippo's candy.

_Let's hope they didn't follow,_ she thought as she began the hard task of shopping for her friends. She intended to bring extra this time in hopes that they would forgive her for taking so long.

To her dismay, Yuka, Ayume, Eri, and Hojo appeared beside her as she dumped a whole box of suckers into the basket on the floor.

"Oh! Uh...hi guys. What are you doing here?" She glanced at them for a second then went back to hunting the next thing on her list, ramen.

"We saw you outside and tried to get your attention but I guess you never heard us call." Yuka answered, giving Kagome an odd look when her friend dumped two huge boxes of ramen into her basket.

"What's with all the food?" Ayume asked.

"It's for InuYasha and the others...oops," Kagome bit down on her tongue to keep the words from spilling out. _Oh no. I'm in for it now._

"InuYasha? Whose that?" Eri poked at her, seeing Kagome wince at the name.

"Just a friend." Kagome practically ran to the next isle to escape. She looked down into her already overflowing basket and a thought crossed her path.

"Here. Since you guys aren't doing anything, you can help me. I'm sort of in a hurry."

She thrust the basket at Eri to shut her up and begged Yuka to grab another one seeing as the other was full.

"Ok, now I need...the medicine and bandages," Kagome mumbled aloud to herself.

She took off to find them and began piling everything she could grab into the second basket Yuka had brought. Yuka and Ayume exchanged puzzled glances. Hojo never said a word while Eri struggled to hold the heavy basket filled with junk food.

Kagome finished her shopping and left the store with her friends who were ready to drop dead on the sidewalk. They all regretted agreeing to help Kagome bring everything home. Each person was loaded with an armful of bags and boxes piled sky high. By the time they had reached her house, Kagome's friends were ready to run, fearing she would ask for more help.

"Just set it all on the counter." Kagome said emptying her own load. "Thanks you guys. You saved me."

Her friends smiled and headed for the door.

"No problem. Umm, we gotta go. My moms expecting us home soon. I'm having asleep over. Want to come?" Ayume asked.

Kagome shook her head.

"Can't. Got work to do. Maybe next time."

She followed her friends to the door and watched them make a retreat to freedom. Hojo suddenly separated from the group and ran back to Kagome who was in the process of shutting the door.

"Kagome, wait. I forgot to ask you something."

Kagome sighed and politely waited for him to reach her. _Well my plan ALMOST worked. At least it got everyone off the boyfriend topic._

"Hey, I was wondering if you would like to go to the movies with me on Monday?" came Hojo's predictable question.

Kagome tried to think up a quick excuse.

"Umm, Monday? Oh I have a doctors appointment on that day I think... I don't think I could make it..." She prayed the little lie would work. By Monday she'd be back in the Feudal Era.

Hojo smiled buying the lie.

"Oh, well, I hope you're feeling better." He waved goodbye as Kagome shut the door behind her. That nightmare was over!

"Now to sort through all this mess. The things I do for people..."

Kagome began the hard task of dragging everything into her room. She was shocked to realize it had taken an hour to do just that. Lugging the last bag up stairs, she tossed it with all the others piled on one side of her room.

"Now then. I vote for a nap, what about you Buyo?" Kagome sighed scooping up her cat and placing him on the bed. She reached over to set her alarm clock to go off a couple hours before supper.

_Knowing me, I'll sleep strait through supper and breakfast._ Kicking off her shoes, she climbed into bed, Buyo curling up by her feet and purring softly.

_Well, it makes me wonder what InuYasha's been up to these days... _

_

* * *

_

Shift...

* * *

"Seven days. Wow. That's a record for him," Sango whispered from behind the bushes to Shippo and Miroku.

They had reached Kaede's village five days earlier enjoying the much-needed rest and of course, InuYasha was moping around all the while.

"How much longer do we have to wait for Kagome to come back?" Shippo asked.

Sango shrugged. "About three more days...if we're lucky."

"Let's hope InuYasha keeps his mouth shut when she does come back." Miroku added.

They all sighed and continued to spy on InuYasha who was grumbling to himself over by the Well were Kagome's scent still lingered.

"Feh. Ten days. Stupid girl. She takes too long." InuYasha growled into the empty Well.

_Why the hell does she do this to me? I feel as if I'm on a leash and she's on the other end dragging me around. I don't understand..._ He sank to the ground resting his chin on the old wood of the Well's mouth. Kagome's scent still clung to it, even after seven days of her absents.

His mind wondered back to the past. He remembered when he first met her, under the Scared Tree, so confused and innocent. She had never seen a demon before let alone a half-demon.

InuYasha sighed as guilt began to flood him. He had almost done it. He had tried to kill Kagome...on more than one occasion to claim the Shikon Jewel for himself. He winced at the thought of that mistake. Why did she stay by his side? Anyone else would have turned their backs on him. They always did...but Kagome...

"Damn it all Kagome!" InuYasha growled springing to his feet.

He stepped onto the Well trying to clear his flooded mind.

_Every time that girl leaves she has me feeling stupid! I didn't do anything anyway. It's her fault she got all mad. It's about time she saw that!_

InuYasha took a quick look around, making sure nobody was around to see him. Satisfied, he dropped down into the darkness, plunging into the dimensions of time.

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo crawled from the bushes as InuYasha vanished into the Well.

"Hmm," sighed Miroku. "that lasted longer than I thought it would. But his _only _weakness finally gave in..."

Shippo peered down the gloomy Well and giggled. "Kagome's got him wrapped around her fingers!"

* * *

_Shift...

* * *

_

Who's that_? Kagome could see three people in the distance. _A family? _She thought she saw a woman cradling something in her arms. Beside her, a man and a toddler were all peering at the bundle she held, the toddler tugging at her dress because he was too small see. _

_Suddenly Kagome found herself among the family of three...no four. The bundle was a newborn baby she realized, as the weight of it filled her arms. _It's...so small_. She gazed down at the squirming infant wondering how she had ended up with the baby and where the woman had disappeared to. _

_"_Mama, let me see! I wanna see_!" cried the toddler who began to tug on her dress to get her attention. _

Mama_? Kagome pulled her eyes from the baby to speak to the toddler but she gasped in shock when the man came up from behind her, scooping up the boy. _

It...it can't be... Inu... InuYasha_! But it was him, standing in front of her, holding the toddler and...smiling? She was the woman holding the newborn, it was her newborn and he was the..._

Kagome sat bolt right up in her bed at the sound of a loud ringing from her alarm clock. She had worked up a sweat and found herself trembling as she kicked off the covers.

"Cold water, I think I need some cold water. That will wake me up. And it's stuffy in here so this window can open up as well...AHH! INUYASHA SIT!" She suddenly screamed when the Half-Demon popped up in front of her out of no where, giving her a heart attack.

Meanwhile: 

"Hey gramps, I think InuYasha's here." Sota said munching on an apple. "Hmm. I think you're right. Better add him for supper...I doubt he'll be leaving anytime soon." A thud from up stairs answered that remark as gramps took a sip from his tea.

And back to Kagome! 

"InuYasha you idiot why not use the front door for once! It's not there for decoration you know! God don't you scare me like that! I've got enough stress already! What the heck are you doing here anyway?" she yelled at him, ready to 'Sit' him a million more times.

"Hey I didn't do anything! And stop yelling or you'll wake the dead!"

"SIT!...SIT! SIT! SIT! I'll wake every dead person from both worlds if I feel like it! Now get out before I say your favorite word again!"

InuYasha peeled himself from the floor he had come to know quite well in the past few seconds and retreated out the open door Kagome pointed at. He heard the door slam behind him so he guessed it would be a while before she would talk to him.

_What else is new? Feh. I think I'll hide in the tree. Stupid girl._

Kagome forced herself to sit down.

_Kagome calm down. First of all, it was ONLY a dream. Second of all, InuYasha didn't mean to give you a scare like that...other wise I'd kill him. Breathe. I think a warm shower will sooth those nerves, no, a long hot soak would be better. Then I can clear my mind before apologizing to InuYasha._

Taking a deep breath, she got up to start the water, adding some bath bubbles to hide in. She undressed and slipped into the warm water allowing her twisted mind to unwind.

_It was only a dream, nothing more, but I can't help feeling… excited? _

Was that the word for it? InuYasha's face kept swimming in her head.

_His expression...he was smiling, it wasn't fake or covered with pain. It was a true smile. He was happy. I wish I could see him smile like that in real life. _

Kagome slid deeper into the water, the bubbles tickling her nose as she vanished under them with only her head exposed.

_How can I make him see that I want him to live? How can I heal his heart from the damage of the past? Am I supposed to give him the Shikon Jewel and walk away from everything we've accomplished while keeping my mouth shut? I can't do it. I couldn't just run away from it all. Not when I love him... _

The water began to get cold, forcing Kagome out of her hideout. She took her time dressing. The open window filled the room with fresh air as she crept from her bathroom. After throwing her bed together, Kagome peered outside. InuYasha's red kimono caught her eye when she glanced up at the Scared Tree that stood in her yard by the shrine. _I'd better go apologize._ She shut the window and headed down stairs, ignoring her brother and grandfather who tried to get her attention. She stepped out into the cool evening and made her way to the tree where InuYasha was perched.

"InuYasha? InuYasha please come down, I need to talk to you."

"Why? So you can bite my arms off too? No thanks, I'll pass." came the response.

"InuYasha...look I'm sorry, ok? Now would you please come down?"

"Make me." InuYasha tried to bite back that remark not wanting to be sat again. He waited but it never came to his relief.

"I don't want to say it..." Kagome sighed. "I'll wait until you feel like coming down."

She walked back to the house with another sigh, not ready to pick a fight with InuYasha. He would come to her when he was ready. Right now he was still hot-headed from earlier.

_

* * *

_

Shift

* * *

Hours had passed, as did supper, and InuYasha was still in the tree outside. Kagome stood by her mother, helping her clean up the dishes and kitchen while Sota and Gramps went their seperate ways. Kagome's mother glanced at her daughter who was scrubbing a cup thoughtfully.

"Kagome?" she placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder to get her attention.

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you let me finish the dishes, ok? Your school report card came in the mail today. It's on the table. I know you have a big math test comeing up..."

Kagome winced at the words "report card". _This really bites... I don't want to see my grades..._

"Ok mom. Thanks." She sighed.

Kagome dried her hands and picked up the envelope on the table, heading back to her bedroom. Climbing the stairs she slowly tore the top slip and removed the condeming piece of paper. Sinking to her bed, her heart sank further into gloom. _Five D's and two F's... not even one C... At this rate, I will never get my grades back up. _Kagome fisted her hands in frustration. _Finding the Jewel Shards is becoming such a hard task, and Naraku is only getting stronger. Everytime I come home, it takes away the precious time we have to find the Shards. I am putting my friends at risk... But everytime I leave home, I am being left behind in my studies. I can't keep up with all this work. It's like I have to pick between this world or..._

A knock on Kagome's door snapped her back to reality. "Come in.." she answered softly.

Kagome's mother walked in with a soft smile on her face, holding a small plate of cookies and glass of milk.

"I brought you something sweet to help you with your school work." she said, setting the plate and glass on Kagome's cluttered desk.

Kagome bit her lip. She wanted to cry. _I'm failing my classes. I can't keep this up anymore._ She took a deep breath to stall the tears and gave her mom a weak smile of thanks. To her dismay, her mother read her face of regret and frustration.

"Kagome, what's bothering you dear? I can tell your mind is on something very important to you." Her mother spied the crumpled paper on the floor where it had been unconsiously dropped moments before. She reached down and picked it up, her face not changing in expression one bit as she reviewed Kagome's failing grades. Before her mother could say anything, Kagome jumped up to save herself.

"I'm failing... I.. I can't keep up with my school work mom... No matter what I do, I am always behind, I can't keep focused on anything. We are always running after demons and Naraku is always up to no good and it's not like I can just sit there for hours studing for tests and-" A hand covered her mouth to stop her rediculous rambling.

"Kagome, calm down! I'm not mad at you. Did you see any disaproving look from me yet? Have I said a word to you about any of this?" Kagome shook her head in reply. Her body was numb so she sat back down, fresh tears blurring her vision.

"I'm sorry mom," She mumbled. "but... school was... important to me. I thought you would be mad if you saw my grades." A few tears fell down her cheeks before her mom had time to dry them up and sit beside her.

"Unlike some mothers, I understand why your grades are slipping, Kagome." Warm hands pulled Kagome into a hug "You have a very important task that _needs_ to be finished. We have already had a glimps of the future, if you and your friends don't accomplish this... Remember, the Jewel Shard that was in the mask that Gramps had?" Kagome silently nodded, dreading the thought of what would have happened had InuYasha not been there to save them all that day. The possessed mask had devoured so many people, and she knew that if Inuyasha and the gang didn't start acting soon, there might be more shards to make it to her time to cause more chaos and bloodshed.

Kagome sat up with a sigh. She gave a small smile to her mom, thankful that she was blessed with a very understanding mother. _Well, she does have living proof that this mission is not a joke. InuYasha is here for one thing, and the mask was another taste of the dangers we are facing. I am sure any other mother would have lost their minds by now. _

"I have to make a decision mom..." Kagome finally admitted. _I am failing in school, and the more time I spend here robs time away from finding Jewel Shards._

Kagome's mother gave a reasuring smile as she stood up and walked to the door. "What ever you decide Kagome, I am behind you 100 percent."

* * *

This is the end of chapter one. Please review. If there are any noticable mistakes in spelling or grammer, let me know in a PRIVATE message please. Thanks! 


	2. Forgiven

Disclaimers and claimers are listed in chapter one. Don't remember them, then go back and re-read them.

Here is chapter 2. Wow, 2 chapters in one day. This does not mean that I will be spitting out 2 chapters a day every day. When I have free time, I will work on this fanfic chapter by chapter. I do have a life, I'm married and have to go places so please keep this in mind. I will be devoted to this story on a weekly if not bi-weekly basis. Again, please send me a PRIVATE message of any grammer issues. Anyway, here is chapter two. Enjoy!

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**_Chapter Two - Forgiven_**

InuYasha sat at the edge of the roof, above Kagome's window. She had left it slightly cracked from when she shut it earlier, so the second he caught the scent of her unshed tears, he was at her window incase she needed him.

""I'm failing... I.. I can't keep up with my school work mom... No matter what I do, I am always behind, I can't keep focused on anything. We are always running after demons and Naraku is always up to no good and it's not like I can just sit there for hours studing for tests and-" InuYasha's ear twitched as he listened to Kagome's voice intently.

_She's seriously upset about school? I still don't see what is so important about it... All it seems to be doing is making her sad and taking up all her free time._

"Kagome, calm down! I'm not mad at you. Did you see any disaproving look from me yet? Have I said a word to you about any of this?" _Yeah, you better not or I will have to kill ya..._ InuYasha growled to himself.

"I'm sorry mom," Another ear twitch. "but... school was... important to me. I thought you would be mad if you saw my grades." _Damn it, she's crying again. I hate it when she cries! It makes me feel so... helpless. What the fucks wrong with me? Since when does anything make me feel helpless? I sound like a fucking weakling!_

"Unlike some mothers, I understand why your grades are slipping, Kagome. You have a very important task that _needs_ to be finished. We have already had a glimps of the future, if you and your friends don't accomplish this... Remember, the Jewel Shard that was in the mask that Gramps had?" InuYasha winced at that reminder. Kagome's grandfather had almost lost his life that day.

There was a small pause before Kagome's muffled voice replied "I have to make a decision mom..."

_A decision? About what? She's not going to leave me is she? Is she about to abandon all of us? What about the Jewel Shards? It's her fault in the first place! _

"What ever you decide Kagome, I am behind you 100 percent."

InuYasha heard Kagome's bedroom door close as her mother left the room. He was still shocked at her words and a million questions were buzzing through his head. He was nervous. Very Nervous. For once in his life, he was scared that Kagome might actually... leave him.

_

* * *

_

Shift

* * *

It was almost midnight when Kagome decided that she couldn't sleep. She struggled from her covers and slipped on her slippers. _InuYasha is still pouting outside in the tree. I would have figured that he would have cooled off by now._ She sighed and quietly left the room, tip-toeing downstairs as to not wake anyone up. She managed to get out the back door without making a sound.

Kagome shuddered. It was cold outside. She had forgotten that she was home again and the weather was always different in the present compared to InuYasha's time. Slowly, she made her way toward the sacred tree, wrapping herself with her arms to keep somewhat warm. She never saw the shadowed figure drop behind her from above. Something warm was suddenly drapped around her shoulders. Though it was a welcome comfort, it startled her out of her wits.

"AH-" Two warm hands muffled her scream.

"Shh.. It's only me" InuYasha growled spinning her around so that she could actually see him. Kagome gave him a disaproving glare, clutching his offered kimono close to her.

"Thanks, want to try for round three?" She huffed once she had pushed his hands away. "I swear you are always out to scare me senseless."

InuYasha didn't reply back. He refused to even look at her. He plopped down on the cold ground with a "Feh."

"Hey, now what's wrong with you? What could I have possibly done to piss you off this time? You're the one who keeps sneaking up on me all the time!" Kagome knelt beside him, as it was too cold for her in thin pajamas to sit on the cold earth.

"Hello? InuYasha? Stop ignoring me!" Kagome grabbed the tip of his ear lightly, tugging at it in a friendly manor.

"You want to leave us..." InuYasha suddenly blurted out harshly. He still refused to look at her. His eyes were glued to the ground, away from her so that she could no read his face. He tugged his ear free from her soft fingers. Such an innocent touch left him lost in a world of pleasure...and pain.

Kagome recoiled at the harsh words he spoke. He sounded so accusing...and hurt? _What on earth gave him that kind of idea. I never even mentioned that I was going to leave anyone... Why would I leave everyone behind? What's gotten into him?_

"Leave _us_? You mean leave you and the others? Where is this all coming from, InuYasha?" Kagome asked softly. She looked at him completely puzzled, not sure what to do to make things better again. _Wait a minute. Did he listen to..._

"I heard you. School is important to you. You're falling behind in your 'studies' and you have to make a _decision_ between school and us!" InuYasha growled out angerly. Now he was face to face with her.

"It's obvious that your _school_ is more important to you than _we_ are!"

"Sit..." A thud answered.

"InuYasha... I'm hurt that you would even remotely think about me like that... When have I ever said that I would abandon you and the others? How many times have I told you that I would stay by your side and help gather the Shards to fix a mistake that I made? How many times have I risked my life to keep you safe, when your demon blood rises to the surface, or when your wounds are so severe that I spend days and nights nursing you back to health? How many times..." Tears were blurring her vision at this point, she was so angry with him, " have I sacrificed my heart, gave it to you, only to have it ripped to shreds everytime you run off to find Kikyo...and yet I've stayed... and you have the_ nerve_ to accuse me of abandoning _you_."

Kagome stood up stiffly. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and pivoted toward the safety of the house before she said anything more. It had suddenly hit her that the last sentence was more than she has intended to say. Hurt, angry, and a little embarrassed, she fled to her room.

InuYasha's ear twitched. His dirt stained face mirrored the look of disbelief. As Kagome fled from his sight, he leapt to his feet and shook himself free of dirt and grime from his earlier "Sit" treatment. _I so fucked this up big time..._ was all he could think.

_

* * *

_

Shift

* * *

Kagome woke early the next morning. Her throat was dry and her face felt tight from crying herself to sleep. Looking over at her clock she read the numbers 6:24. _I don't want to get up yet._ She complained to herself and she stuffed her head back into the pillow. Try as she might, her body refused to comply with her wish to sleep in. She grumbled to herself as she slowly climbed out of bed.

Getting dressed, Kagome left the comfort of her bedroom. It was slightly dark outside as she made her way to the kitchen. No one else was awake yet. Grabbing some bread, she popped two slices in the toaster and grabbed the milk and butter from the refridgerator along with a plate, small cup, and butter knife from the cabinet and drawer. She took her time with breakfast as she thought about what to do for the day.

_I think it's time to go back the to Feudal Era today._ She thought to herself._ It's been long enough anyway. I should leave mom a note and tell her to withdraw me from school... I won't be back here for awhile at least. _She took the final bite of her second piece of toast and washed it down with milk. Afterwards, she cleaned up her dishes and small mess and headed outside to get InuYasha.

"InuYasha. Wake up, I need your help to pack up everything. We are going back today." Kagome called up into the tree.

The rustle of leaves was her reply as InuYasha took his time coming down. He didn't look at her. His face was... expressionless. Ignoring that fact, Kagome led him back inside and instructed him to grab this, and pack that for the next hour. It was almost 8am when they were ready to leave.

"Ok, before we leave I need to leave my mom a note." Kagome said as they made their way down stairs. InuYasha was loaded with fat bags of goodies. He looked more like a pack mule than half-demon. Kagome was no better, her usually small bookbag was overly stuffed with just as much junk.

Jotting down a quick letter, Kagome placed the note on the table and followed InuYasha to the Bone-eaters Well. _It's as if nothing ever even happened last night..._ Kagome thought to herself. They entired the shrine that housed the Well. Kagome struggled a bit to shut the large wooden door behind her. When it was shut and locked back up, InuYasha dropped he bags he was carrying.

"Kagome..."

Kagome waited in silence.

"Look... about...what I said..." The hanyou scratched at the back of head as he tried to make some sort of an attempt to apologize for accusing her like he did that night.

"Don't worry about it, InuYasha..." Kagome replied finally. She gave him a soft smile and shifted the heavy bag on her back. Walking past him, she stopped and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then all to quickly, turned and hopped into the Well without another word, leaving InuYasha in a state of shock.

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Shift

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Shippo was the first person to launch himself into Kagome's arms.

"Kagome! You're back!" He gave her the strongest bear hug a kit like himself could give in joyful glee.

"Kagome!" Miroku and Sango echoed together as they too came to welcome her back. Kirara mewed happily now that the entire gang was back together again.

"Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long..." Kagome apologized and slung her bookbag to the ground. She unzipped it and dug around for a few treats for everyone.

InuYasha came up behind her, his face still flustered from a few minutes before. _She kissed me... Why? What did I do?_ was about the only thing stuck in his mind. It wasn't like he had never kissed a girl before, but wasn't Kagome pissed off at him? She didn't seem the least bit upset.

"What's wrong with InuYasha?" Miroku pointed out InuYasha's rather pink face.

"Uh..." InuYasha was quick to change his expression. He coughed and stuttered horribly as he tried to pull himself together. "W-what do you m-mean whats wrong with me? I'm j-just fine!"

Kagome only sighed as she passed Shippo a sucker. She then popped open a can of catfood for Kirara and tossed Sango and Miroku each a bag of chips. _Jeeze, I give him a friendly kiss of thanks and his mind's in the gutter..._ She dug around a little more and found a box of pocky for the nervous hanyou.

"Here. Eat." She commanded before zipping her bag up and throwing it back over her shoulders.

The gang made their way back to the village in good spirit. Everyone was well rested and the day was early. The weather was alot warmer too compared to Kagome's Era. Shippo was chatting away happily about how he had bravely gone hunting with some of the village men and protected them from an evil demon that had tried to ambush them. He failed to mention that Sango and Miroku were also there to save _him_ when he paniced after the demon had tried to eat him. InuYasha only snorted at the news.

"Yeah, and I bet you ran under a rock too when the demon appeared, Shippo." He sneered at the Kitsune. Somehow, picking on the kit brought him out of wonderland and back to his normal self.

"Oh yeah? What about you?" Shippo growled back angerly. "You were such a sick little puppy without Kagome by your side! You were glued to the Bone-eaters Well since the day she went home! Little help you are! When she leaves, you're nothing but a cry baby!"

Shippo hit his mark. The only way to counter InuYasha's constant picking was to embarrass him in front of his companions. The only problem with that, was it usually ended in...

Smack!

"Ow! Kagome!! He hit me!"

"InuYasha...SIT."

THUD!

_You would think they would have learned by now._ Sango shook her head as the normal events of the day began to take hold. _At least things are back to normal again._

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Shift

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"So, you quit school?" Sango asked in disbelief. Kagome nodded with a sad sigh.

"Some things are more important than school, you know? We have to find the Jewel Shards, and we have to stop Naraku, otherwise, the bloodshed could...reach my Era as well."

"Feh." InuYasha answered in reply as he tossed more wood into the campfire. "Don't worry about that, Kagome, Naraku will be dead soon enough." He sounded so sure of himself, like always.

"I hope your right about that InuYasha..." Kagome murmured. She removed the boiling pot of water from the fire and poured a little in each of the 5 cups of ramen before her. Everyone grabbed a cup and let it cool for a few minutes before eating. The fish would be done cooking soon enough.

"Does that mean you are going to stay with us from now on?" Shippo piped up as he blew at the hot steam rising from his cup of ramen.

"I have to go home once in awhile to get more medicines and such when we run out, but that would only take a day at most. I won't have exams to keep me there..." Kagome gave Shippo a warm smile. It felt good to be wanted. Shippo adored her so much.

Later that night, everyone was out cold. Everyone, except for Kagome that is. Again, she couldn't fall asleep, and it was becoming pointless to fight it. _My mind is too full. _Sitting up, she stretched and let out a yawn.

"Can't sleep?" A soft voice asked from the trees.

"No..." Kagome answered. She should have known that InuYasha would be awake. The rustle of leaves told her he was coming down to meet her. He plopped down beside her and rested again the tree trunk.

"So...what's wrong? You need to rest, we have another long day ahead of us." He asked, trying to make some sort of conversation.

"I don't know.." Kagome answered. She felt... weird. She thought that her mind was too full, but for some reason, she felt...restless...as if her body wanted to get up and walk around.

"Well that won't help anything." InuYasha said.

"I think I need to take a walk." Kagome suggested, to InuYasha's alarm.

"Why do you need to take a walk? It's the middle of night, you could get hurt." He warned, not agreeing with her at all.

"Oh stop it, would you? I have my bow and arrows and I am capable of looking out for myself. Please don't follow my like a hound dog." Kagome pleaded as she got up and collected her weapon.

InuYasha growled at her in disagreement, but when she started to walk off, he forced himself to stay put... at least, until she was just out of his sight. He would at least track her from a small distance. Who knows what could be lurking in the shadows.

Kagome let her feet guide her through the dark forest. It felt as if she were being pulled along by some invisible force. She didn't stumble or trip, but she was sure blind as a bat in the darkness. _A long walk should help me sleep.. Though we have been walking pretty much all day long, so it makes me wonder why I'm not tired at this time of night._

She continued on in silence, the cool breeze caressing the parts of her skin not covered by her night clothes. The only sounds around her were the leaves crunching under her every step and her quiver of arrows knocking against the bow slung over her shoulder. It seemed like an hour before she decided to stop for a rest.

"_Priestess."_

Kagome jumped. _Did I hear something?_ Turning around in a complete circle, she saw nothing unusual. Still whether is was just her imagination or not, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"I think it's time to go back..." Kagome began to walk in the direction she believed she had come from. After a few minutes, her heart began to calm down as she got back into her walking pace. Again, the crunching of leaves echoed her footsteps as she slowly made her way back. Suddenly, the forest ended and she stumbled into a clearing. Before her, a wide lake stretched out, sparkling in the moonlight.

_I must have made a wrong turn. Great. Don't tell me I'm lost..._ She walked out into the clearing, scanning the area for any signs of life. Everything looked still, quiet.

_"Priestess."_

Again Kagome jumped and spun toward the voice. This time, she knew she had heard it. And what was worse, she was looking at it.

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End of chapter two. Please R&R. Will add chapter 3 soon enough. Have some faith! 


	3. Feathers

Here's chapter 3! Send me a PRIVATE message if there are any mis-spelled words or grammer issues please so that I may be able to fix them. I will continue working on chapter 4 on monday. BUT, there's a catch to that. I got one review. At this point, my story must really suck because no one is telling me any different. If I don't get some feed back ppl, why am I bothering to put in the time to write this? Feedback helps to point my work in the right direction.

Oh, here's something to help answer questions ahead of time.

"this means someone is talking"

_This means someone is thinking_

_'and this means that someone is speaking to another character mentally'_

Make sense? good. Enjoy!

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Chapter three - Feathers

Kagome's body was frozen. The blinding light was so bright it was as if it was choking her, burning her. Her body was engulfed in the lapping flames of purple light._ Where am I? What's going on? InuYasha! Someone... help me! I can't move! I can't breathe..._

No one came to her aid. She was sure she was already dead. Suspended in the void of nothingness, she awaited her fate in fear.

'_Priestess.'_ A soft sound echoed all around her.

Kagome found the purple light disapating, the space around her becoming misty and cool again. Her feet settled on solid ground once more and her vision slowly cleared. She realized that she was now panting and trembling as her knees gave out from under her. Her bow lay in two pieces at her knees. _What...is this place?_

A small laugh answered her thoughts. It strangly tickled her mind and a warm sensation flooded her body. Her racing heart was compelled to slow and be calm.

_'Help?'_ A childish voice rang out from above.

The ground was warm and hued in the warm colors of purples and blues. The sky mirrored the earth while the mist made everything else look like shadows. Kagome stood up, grabbing her useless bow, to observe her suroundings. _What...is this place?_

_'Help?'_ The same question rang out, this time, coming from Kagome's feet. Looking down, a small pair of beady eyes blinked up at her.

"What on earth? Am I hearing things? I didn't just hear...a bird talk?" Kagome stepped back from the bird, unsure if she should trust it. Demons came in all shapes and sizes, and many were dangerous. If it was indeed talking, then...

_'No help, Priestess?' _The bird cocked its head to the side, waiting for some sort of answer.

"Uh..." Kagome took another step back. "I...don't..think I need..help...but...thanks anyway." She replied nervously. The bird puffed up and suddenly took to the air. As it flew past her, it suddenly morphed into a ball of metalic purple-blue flames.

_'Follow me.' _

Kagome stood in confusion. _Did I just hear...that bird's voice...in my head?_ Confused, and quite scared, she hesitated in following the strange creature. Being that she was all alone and also lost in this world of purple and blue, she sighed in defeat and began to pick her way through the mist._ I am starting to wonder if saving that spirit was a good idea after all._

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Shift

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InuYasha panted heavily as he yanked his bloodied sword from the demon's dead body. "Kagome!"

He flew to her side and scooped the unconsious girl into his arms. Her arm was bleeding from when the demon slashed out at her after it had crushed her bow in half. Other than that, her breathing was steady and everything seemed to be ok. Still, it angered him that she was injured at all. He'd been too late to sense the demon in time. Not to mention, that _thing_ that the demon was originally trying to kill and eat had also attacked Kagome, rendering her unconsious.

Holding her close, InuYasha leapt into the forest to bring Kagome back to camp. He was worried. Whatever it was, the glowing _thing_ had appeared to merge with Kagome's body. For a few agonizing moments, he thought he had lost her. He never got the chance to check on her because the demon was set to take advantage of her fall. It was a hard fight, but as always, InuYasha's will to protect Kagome saw him through the battle.

------Flashback------

Kagome spun toward the voice. This time she was certain she heard it.

_'Priestess! Help!'_ The cry came back to her, more urgent than the first two times. Now she saw it, and her reaction was to grab for an arrow and aim at the demon before her.

The demon was disgusting, resembling a wart-infested squid from the depths of hell itself. It paid no attention to her, as its slimy tenticles were currently wrapped around a struggling animal. In fact, it didn't even know she was standing there. The animal in its grasp fought with a fury, its body glowing brightly with unnatural power, though from the looks of it, that power was fading fast as the demon seemed to be slowly sucking its life force away, feeding greedily at it.

_'Help!'_ The creature pleaded from within the confused girl.

Kagome unconsiously set an arrow loose, aiming at the disgusting demon. Unknown energy rose within her as she grabbed for a second arrow.

The demon screached in pain as the first attack disinigrated part of its forearm. Wasting no time, it threw its prey to the ground and lunged at Kagome who set the second arrow free. The arrow sang through the demon's side, but just as it did, the demon shot out a tenticle and grabbed at Kagome's ankle, knocking her hard on her back. She lost grip of her bow and screamed as the demon leapt at her. Teeth raked her right arm as she threw herself against the demon's attack, making a pathetic effort to protect herself.

_'I'm coming!'_ A piercing screach sang through the sky as the blinding ball of energy shot at the demon. It dove into Kagome, a blast of wind and light exploding apon impact, slamming the demon 100 yards back into several tree trunks. Kagome sturggled helplessly on the ground, grabbing at her chest as if she couldn't breathe. The world was spinning into blackness and the sounds around her were fading away. Somehow, she managed to grab her now broken bow before passing out. The last thing she heard was the soft echo within her mind. _'I'm here...'_

InuYasha had erupted from the forest at that time. The demon was lumbering lividly toward Kagome who was now unconsious. It's blood was all over the ground.

InuYasha slashed out with Tetsusaiga, roaring out "Wind Scar," his angry attack missing the demon as it leapt backwards to avoid being struck. It spit a ball of poison in InuYasha's direction, catching the hanyou on the side, thrusting out a tenticle to latch onto his unprotected ankle while the poison attack had him distracted. Like a whip, the demon slung out another tenticle and grabbed InuYasha's right arm, yanking him to the ground with a strong force of energy. InuYasha hit a jutting rock with an earth-shattering thud. He spat out muffled curses before collecting himself for the next attack. Beyond pissed off, InuYasha lurched forward at lightning speed and met his foe head on. He sliced off the demon's tenticles in one strike of his sword and used his empty fist to slam the demon face-first into the dirt. Keening in pain, the demon was too slow to dodge InuYasha's final blow as the Tetsusaiga was thrust into its back. With that, its life was no more.

------End Flashback------

InuYasha reached his companions and landed none to gracefully. Everyone was already awake as the presence of the demon had been felt, not to mention the noise and chaos could have been heard for miles. Sango was dressed for battle, Kirara was in her larger state, Shippo was hiding under Kagome's sleeping bag, and Miroku was putting out the fire.

"InuYasha! What's going on?" Sango asked in a serious voice. She had her weapon on hand until she saw an unconsious Kagome being laid on an empty blanket. Grabbing Kagome's first aid kit, she dropped her Hiraikotsu and made quick work of tending to the girl's wounded arm.

"Kagome couldn't sleep. So she thought it was a good idea to take a walk. I was tracking her from a distance because she didn't want me tagging along. Lucky I was there in time... She could have been killed" InuYasha growled angerly. His hands were turning white from making tight fists.

Miroku took Kagome's first aid kit once Sango was done with Kagome and point to InuYasha. "You're injured InuYasha, better take care of it." He tossed the kit to the hanyou who took it.

The pain was only now just starting to kick in. Looking down, InuYasha saw where the poison had hit him on the side. It had eaten away his clothing and was now eating away at his flesh. He washed it after removing his shirts and used a burn ointment to ease the discomfort. Kagome had taught him alot about healing wounds, but it wasn't until now that he used that knowledge on himself.

Shippo climbed up onto Miroku's shoulder, staring down at Kagome in worry. "Is she going to be ok?"

Miroku glanced at InuYasha. The hanyou was also staring at the girl with a worried expression on his face.

"I hope so..." was all the Monk could say. He had no idea what had happened so it was too early to say anything.

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Shift

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Kagome seemed to have been walking for hours. Her legs were tired. Her throat was dry. Her lungs were hurting from breathing so hard. The only thing that kept her going was the constant plead of the bird to follow it, and so she did. The mist was thick, but at least she could still make out the glowing ball that flew through what seemed to be...heaven? Lord knows where she was now.

Finally, she found herself getting closer the the ball of light, meaning that the bird had landed. It sat on a rock, again the colors of purples and blues like the earth and sky. The bird's form melted back into a hawk as it stared up at her thoughtfully.

_'You save Kimi.'_ It's voiced in her mind with glee, fluffing its now normal looking feathers.

Kagome gave an odd smile. "You're...welcome?" She really didn't know what to say at this point. She just wanted to go home.

_'You save Kimi, I help Priestess!' _Again the voice was in her head, not out in the open. _'Kimi stay with nice Priestess? Help Priestess?'_

Kagome looked at the bird helplessly. "I don't know who you are..." she replied. "I don't know _what_ you are... I don't even know where I am." She looked around to prove her point. All around her, colors mixed together and sparkled in the mist.

"Look, I just want to go back home. To my friends... I'm tired... I'm cold... please.." Kagome pleaded. She sank to her knees with a sad sigh.

The bird still continued to look cute and fat, its feathers fluffed.

_'Kimi is a spirit. Kimi died many years ago. Kimi's soul was lost. You saved Kimi from spirit-eater.' _

Kagome listened intently. The only way out of this...world...was to work with the bird. It was obviously the bird's soul she was trapped in. Time was frozen.

"So, the demon that attacked you was trying to devour your spirit?" She asked, trying to make some sort of effort to converse with _Kimi_.

_'Yes. Very few can see me. Rarely a human can see me. Demons have better luck. They always chase me.'_ Kimi sighed sadly.

Kagome suddenly realized that the more she tried to talk to the bird and listen, the better her langauge became. Kimi gave her feathers another ruffle.

_'Of course. I can talk just fine! It was _you_ who blocked me out. Now that you are beginning to trust me, I am able to speak freely. The second your mind freezes up, my voice can't reach you.'_

Kimi stretched our her wings and hopped closer to Kagome who was leaning against the side of the rock. _'I was once like you. I was human... I was a priestess... When I died, my soul refused to rest in peace. I have wandered this earth for 2 centries looking for one with such power to revenge my death, and release the curse apon my friends. That person would be able to see my wandering spirit, hear my cries of pain and regret... But until now, the few humans that could see me, could never hear my cries, and looked at me as a demon...'_

Kagome found herself drawn in by this bird. Another victim of death, another wandering soul. Life was a harsh reality of pain and dispair. With the Shikon Jewel in pieces, more suffering was bound to happen. Why couldn't life be full of joy and happiness?

"I don't see what this would have to do with me... Sure, I can see you, and somehow I am...speaking with you, but what do I have to do with anything? Why have you brought me here?" she asked.

Kimi clapped her beak once and eyed the girl before her.

_'When you fell to the ground, my soul merged with yours and I was able to protect you long enough for your friend to come to your aid. A normal human would not have survived... A normal human could not have been able to handle the amount of energy that surged through your body, but... you are no _normal_ human... You... you are something special. I believe you have the power to save my friends and avenge my death. My killer still walks these lands. He torments humans, demons... He kills and destorys the lives and dreams of innocent people. He must be stopped! I ask for you help. In return, I will give you my strength and wisdom...'_

Kagome fiddled with her broken bow. _To take on another task like this? Oh InuYasha will love that idea. Yeah right, like he would go out of his way to help a bird..._

_'Priestess! I am a Priestess!' _Kimi hissed back.

Kagome had the guts to poke the hawk's belly. "You, are a bird. You resemble a hawk, have feathers, a beak, two beady little eyes... you're a bird. Whatever you _were_ is nothing to what you resemble now." Kimi kept growling.

"I don't know if I can help you. We are trying to gather Jewel Shards and stop a terrible demon from using the pieces for evil. That is our current goal now... Maybe when we have made things right, we can help you, but right now..."

Everything suddenly melted away. The sky, the ground, Kimi, and then herself, all melted into blackness. She consious of muffled voices, familiar and a welcome to hear. Her body felt heavy, but warm. Her senses picked up the smell of campfire smoke and cooked fish.

"Look! Look! She's waking up!" came Shippo's excited, yet quite voice.

"It's about time!" InuYasha growled. He was sitting by her side with Shippo perched on his shoulders.

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Shift

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Kagome tossed her broken bow into the campfire. It was useless now, snapped in two by the demon from the night before. Everyone was getting ready to break camp, packing sleeping bags and gathering up belongings. Shippo was eating his last fish on a stick.

"Well, looks like I am going to have to get a new bow..." She grabbed her bookbag and slung it over her shoulders. Not only was her bow gone, but her quiver of arrows was missing too.

"Feh. Big deal, we'll get you a new one soon enough." InuYasha relied, offering his back to her to climb on. He could sense that she was tired and stressed, though he wasn't sure why. Kagome climbed on without a word of complaint.

The gang began the day in silence. They traveled many miles, passing two villages along the way, before stopping for a rest and snack. No one had seemed too hungry for lunch that day.

Sliding from InuYasha's back, Kagome set her bag down and dug around from a few cups of ramen and a couple bags of chips. _Man, what a strange dream... it's bugging the crap out of me too. Though.. I know... that some how... it was real. I can sense her... the bird. It's as if she's following us from above. Kind of feels like a Jewel Shard, only, its not as strong._

Indeed, many miles above, a small hawk circled the gang, intent on joining the group sooner or later. With the strong senses of Kagome's companions, Kimi knew that everyone would be able to see her, maybe even hear her if she were lucky. But for now, she would keep her distance and let everyone go on about their day.

"You know... Something has been following us." Miroku was looked to the sky thoughfully as he stirred his cup of noodles.

Sango nodded. "I know, I've felt the presence all day long... It doesn't seem threatening though, but everyone be on your guard, ok?" Kirara growled in reply. She had been in her larger state since the commotion the night before.

_I wondered why everyone was so quite today._ Kagome thought to herself. _They can feel her presence too._

"I know who it is..." Everyone turned their attention to Kagome.

"When I couldn't sleep, I took a walk and stumbled onto a soul-eating demon. The soul cried out to me, so I tried to save it. Right afterwards, it saved me from the demon. It wants our help and my guess is that she will continue to follow us until we agree to help her."

"Wait? Now it's a 'she'?" InuYasha asked. He then stuffed his mouth with ramen. Kagome nodded as she too spooned in a much smaller portion from her own cup.

"She came to me...in a dream like state. It's hard to explain, but she calls herself Kimi and she's nothing more than a wandering spirit seaking the help of those who can see and speak with her. She was killed and wishes to be avenged. Her murderer still lives."

_'So you will help me?'_ Kagome flew to her feet and dashed to InuYasha's side in 1 second flat. The voice in her head was so sudden and unexpected, and to make it worse, Kimi was perched right above her in the tree she was sitting under.

"What's wrong?" InuYasha drew his sword looking around for danger.

"Look, a bird!" Shippo pointed out to the tree. Kimi blinked back at him.

"Don't do that!!" Kagome cried from behind InuYasha. She glared at the hawk accusingly. _If it's not InuYasha, now its the bird!_

"Don't do what?" InuYasha growled back at Kagome.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the bird!" She pointed to the tree.

"It's just a bird! They don't talk. Don't snap at me, I didn't do anything!"

"Well I can hear her plain as day and she scared me ok?" Kagome stormed over to Sango and sat down beside her.

_'Well excuse me for coming to say hello!'_ Kimi clipped her beak in annoyance. She ruffled her feathers and looked at the rest of the gang. _I knew they would be able to see me..._

InuYasha, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara could very well see her. Kimi tried to communicate with each one of them, but there was no reply back. _They can't hear me. Figures._

"So, what now?" Miroku asked as he popped a rice ball into his mouth. He had bought a few from the village the past through earlier knowing they would be a welcome treat.

"I doubt she will just go away..." Kagome answered. "So it looks like we have a new companion from now on." _And this better not be some sort of trick either..._ She thought, directing that thought to Kimi, if she could even listen to her thoughts.

_'I can hear every thought you make, so long as you permit me to. You do have the ability to block me out. That is up to you, not me.'_

"Hmm..." Kagome replied with a sigh. This was going to be interesting indeed.

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End of chapter 3. You want chapter 4? Good. I want reviews. Review and then I shall post. Agreed? -sits and waits- I got all year!

And Just to let you know, Chapter 4 is finished. I won't post until I know if this story is even WORTH my time writting... Do you people LIKE what I have started? Does it completly suck ass? TELL ME! Is it going to kill people do send me a review? -cries- Don't bring me so low as to start begging. Right now, at this moment, I feel like my writting is crappy because no one is telling me otherwise. One review does little to tell me anything, but I do send many thanks to the one person who went out of their way to review.

So, again, I won't post the FINISHED chapter 4 until people tell me whether or not its worth continuing on.


	4. The Weapon

Here is chapter 4. Enjoy. If you find errors, please send me a message. I comb my work for errors and bad spelling, but when you read and read your OWN work, mistakes will slip in unnoticed. It is easier for a stranger to catch a writer's mistakes. I know I repeat this, but that's because no one ever points them out… Thank you for your patience. Lol.

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_**Chapter Four - The Weapon**_

"So tell me again why Featherhead's with us?" There was a hiss of agitation from above.

"InuYasha, if you keep calling her names, she's going to attack you," came Kagome's tired reply as she walked through the never ending forest. The half-demon was not exactly pleased with their newest companion. He didn't trust her at all and would often glare at her.

"I'd like to see her try," was InuYasha's retort, his hand subconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

'_Ha, and what would he cut? Thin air? I may seem solid, but I can change my form in a split second. What's his issue anyway?' _Kagome was now used to speaking with Kimi mentally. The tickling in her brain was starting to feel a little normal. She also stopped speaking aloud to the spirit-bird as it often irritated InuYasha because, to him, it seemed as if she were talking to herself.

_Don't ask me, you're the mind reader,_ she thought back to the bird.

'_I can only read someone's mind if they allow me to. Your demon friend is very stubborn. I don't like him.'_

_Oh geeze, give it a rest! Look, InuYasha was here first, so if you really want our help, deal with it. He's not going anywhere and I really don't want to listen to either one of you anymore!_

Kimi didn't reply back. Instead, she beat her wings until she was no longer visible in the dimming light of the sky. It was awhile before anyone else bothered to speak. Finally, Miroku broke the silence.

"Well, I say it's about time to set up camp. I'm hungry and there are some animal tracks we passed not too long ago. Maybe we could catch a real meal and take a break off the fish for once?"

The mention of food hit the mark. Shippo launched himself off Sango's shoulder and started scrambling around to find the animal tracks. Sango set down her weapon and stretched, glad for the excuse to rest and then headed over to help Kagome unload her pack for the night. Ten seconds later, the two women could hear the usual bickering between Shippo and InuYasha.

"I found the tracks! I want to help hunt too," Shippo cried from the air. InuYasha was holding him up in the air by his tail.

"Please, you couldn't kill a fly if your life depended on it. Besides, you'll just get in the way." He glared at Shippo as the Kitsune squirmed and kicked to free himself.

"I can too kill a fly... Just wait, when I'm all grown up I'll show you, you stupid mutt!"

"What did you call me?"

"You heard me! I called you a Mutt! Mutt, mutt, mu-" InuYasha's free fist interrupted Shippo with a hard THUMP before dropping him on the ground.

As predictable, the Kitsune ran to Kagome, crying and fussing about InuYasha picking on him. The hanyou tensed, waiting for the "Sit" to come, but it never came.

"Shippo, I am sorry to say you deserved that," was Kagome's soft reply. "Why don't you stay here and give the men a break." Shippo's eyes popped in surprise. Since when had Kagome ever taken InuYasha's defense?

"But, he hit me! Why does he get away it beating on a little guy like me?" Shippo asked, hurt and very confused about this unexpected surprise. He heard InuYasha's "Feh," as the half-demon walked off with Miroku into the dim trees and out of sight.

"Because I don't think it's right to call him what you did. Shippo, I know you're still a kid and want to grow up so quickly, but you love to antagonize InuYasha and it's got to stop. Picking a fight with someone ten times your size is not the best way to go…" Kagome gave Shippo a gentle pat on the back and handed him a small pot. "Here, fill this up with water and I'll let you help start up the fire, ok?"

* * *

_Shift_

* * *

InuYasha walked in silence, his sword drawn and slung over his shoulder like he had nothing better to do. The only sounds around him were the crunching of dead leaves and twigs and the steady, whispering breeze. The monk beside him was trying to make out the tracks they were following, though InuYasha wondered why he bothered. He could smell the wild boar ahead of them and could have it dead in a single leap and swing of his sword. But there was a reason why the hanyou wanted to prolong the hunt. It was also why he didn't want Shippo tagging along with them.

"Miroku? Can I ask you something?" InuYasha scrounged up the courage to voice what was on his mind.

"Hmm? I figured there was something on your mind, otherwise you wouldn't have me tracking down an animal half-blind in the dark," Miroku replied, standing up to give InuYasha his attention. He was bent toward the ground, trying to make out the hoof prints in the soft soil though the light was fading fast and it was harder to see the tracks anymore.

"Well…you see… eh.." _Oh, where do I begin. This is utterly embarrassing. What should I say?_ InuYasha thought to himself.

"Hey, what you say to a Monk, stays with a Monk. I won't spread your secrets around, InuYasha. I swear it." Miroku encouraged. He was highly curious now.

"Ok, look. Kagome' bow got snapped when that bird showed up and I was thinking… My father forged the Tetsusaiga from one of his fangs to protect me and I was wondering if…if you thought it would be a good idea if I did the same for Kagome? I mean…since she's a priestess, would a demon's fang work the same way?"

Miroku was a little surprised by the question. Was InuYasha intending to give Kagome a gift?

"Hmm, that's a tough question, InuYasha. While I don't believe that one of your fangs would cause any harm to Kagome, I don't know how she would handle a weapon like a sword. She handles a bow like an expert, but I can't see her with a sword."

"Well, I wasn't intending to have a sword forged for her, but I wanted to give her more…protection." InuYasha was thankful for the darkness. The sun was finally gone, effectively hiding his red face and cheeks.

"Didn't Totosai forge the Tetsusaiga? Maybe he could point you in the right direction. He's a master at what he does and might be able to make a weapon that could also offer better protection at the same time," Miroku suggested. He wasn't sure if the sword-maker could make what InuYasha was searching for, but it was worth a shot.

InuYasha thought for a moment. "Maybe… but that would mean that I'd have to go away for a couple days to get there. Are you up for staying put for a couple days?"

Miroku shrugged. "I'd love the break myself. It's been so boring with no demons around to slay and we haven't found any leads to any Jewel Shards either. Plus, Naraku's still in hiding and we are no closer to finding him.

InuYasha grunted in response and then vanished. There was a horrible squeal and the slash of a sword before he came back with a large black mass slung over his shoulder. The boar had been uprooting a sapling tree, searching for the sweet roots it loved so much and unaware of how close it had been to the two men.

"Well, we best get back. I want to leave as soon as possible." InuYasha said as he started back toward camp.

* * *

_Shift_

* * *

"So…you want to make a weapon that also protects Kagome?" The feeble-looking old man before InuYasha scratched his head while staring at Tetsusaiga now sitting in his lap. The sword needed a good sharpening and that had been the hanyou's excuse for leaving his friends the next day.

"Impossible." Totosai replied. InuYasha gave him a hard whack on the head. He was sick of the old man's games. Not even five minutes ago, he had said that it was possible but then got off topic while examining the Tetsusaiga until InuYasha had brought it back up again.

"Ok, ok. It's possible. BUT, you must get me the material to forge it. What you are asking is possible, but very hard to make and will take many days to create. It will also take special wood, metal, and string, and I will need this," Pliers had magically appeared in Totosai's hand and he reached up and yanked free one of InuYasha's fangs.

InuYasha yelled, punched the old man for his stupidity, and started cursing every name he could think of. Totosai grumbled about ungrateful demons while rubbing his newest lump growing on his balding head. Wishing the half-demon to be gone, he quickly got to the point.

"Now, I need you to bring me the whiskers from a Dragon, preferably one that lives in the lake of Trevel to the east. I will need about eight pieces of the longest strands you can get. How you get them is up to you. Then, you will need to find me a large branch from the finest cherry blossom tree you can get your hands on. If you can find the legendary _Golden_ cherry tree, that would be best. But they are so rare, it's often said that they no longer exist. Nobody these days seems to know of a golden cherry blossom tree and they usually laugh at me when I speak of it. But it exists, I know it does, and its power is said to be immense. As for the metal, I think you are in luck. I have just what I need to make the very heart and soul of this weapon. I'll work on that part and combine it with your fang while you get the rest of it. Now be gone."

With that, Totosai tossed Tetsusaiga back to InuYasha and got up to fetch the metal.

InuYasha wasted no time in leaving. He was thinking about the task ahead of him. He'd have to track down a Dragon, a water Dragon at that. Dragons were not friendly and were much more powerful than a lot of demons. He was not looking forward to stirring one up. And then there was the strange Cherry tree he had to find. He'd never heard of a Golden cherry tree. Where would he find it? Though Totosai had said "the finest" cherry tree, meaning a regular one would work, InuYasha wanted the best possible material to make Kagome's new weapon.

He wondered how long it would take him to finish his newest quest. He had told everyone he'd only be a couple days. Now, he wasn't so sure. _Well, I'd better get a move on. These things aren't going to find themselves._ With that, the hanyou was off.

* * *

_Shift_

* * *

High above and hidden in the clouds, a tiny bird was flying freely in the cool air stream that caressed her feathers and lifted her weightless body. If someone had been watching that bird, they would have thought that perhaps it was following a certain half-demon around because everywhere the hanyou seemed to go, the bird was sure to follow.

* * *

Well, here we go. Chapter 4. Hope it was good. First thing I have written in a LONG time that had nothing to do with college research papers! Oh, and for the record, I am in the middle of moving again. I've been moving since Wednesday. This is the first time I've had a break to work on this, so due to being utterly exhausted, I don't know how this chapter came out. Review would brighten my spirits. Thanks too Moon and another person who msged me or reviewed, can't really remember. made me smile. :) And now, I am off to BED! Thanks.


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